The Book of Esther

Chapter 3

Psalm
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

1. The of Esther (Chapters 1-2)

• Ahasuerus the King (Chapter 1)
• Esther the Queen (Chapter 2)
2. The of Haman (Chapters 3-7)
• Haman the Enemy (Chapter 3)
Anti-Semitism is the intense dislike, prejudice, or behavior hostile toward just because they are Jewish.

Verse 1
1. “After these things” refers to the two main events recorded in Chapter 2.
• The of Esther for the new queen.
• The by Mordecai of the assassination plot against King Ahasuerus.
2. The time span between the beginning of the campaign against the Jews and the coronation of Esther as queen was
around years (Esther 3:7, Esther 2:16).
• Things had been calm and peaceful in Persia for four or so years after the assassination plot was exposed.
• But then trouble broke out in the form of this campaign against the Jews.
3. Haman is identified as the son of Hammedatha the Agagite (verse 1).
• Neither the Bible or history sheds any light on Hammedatha.
• Haman was an “Agagite,” which meant that he was a descendedent of , king of the
Amalekites (I Samuel 15:8).
4. King Xerxes (Ahasuerus) promoted so that he was “above all the princes that were with
him.”

Verses 2-4
1. Not content with merely having a high office and using it, Haman wanted all the public recognition and honor that he
could secure.
2. The two words, “ ” and “ ” both involve bowing.
• The Hebrew word translated “bowed” emphasizes the posture.
• The Hebrew word translated “reverenced” emphasizes the in the posture.
3. The adoration of Haman was than a salute like we salute officers in the military. It was an
adoration which included recognition given a Divine person.
4. Mordecai refused to obey the king's command to bow down before Haman. Mordecai perceived the Divine worship
aspect of this bowing and realized it was more than just the usual courteous recognition of a superior.
5. When Mordecai was pressed about his refusal to bow, he told them he was a (verse 4).
6. The king’s servants were probably startled by Mordecai’s revelation and so they told Haman why Mordecai refused
to bow before him.
• “Whether Mordecai’s matters would stand” means whether Mordecai’s excuse was .
• The king’s servants were interested to see if being a Jew was a valid reason for his refusal.

Verses 5-6
1. When Haman was informed by Mordecai's fellow servants of Mordecai's refusal to bow down to Haman and when he
saw that this report of Mordecai was indeed true, the reaction of Haman was to quickly plot a vicious campaign
against the Jews.
2. In his rage against Mordecai, Haman planned a vicious revenge.
• “for they had shewed him the people of Mordecai” (verse 6) means that the king’s servants had revealed to
Haman that Mordecai was a .
• Haman did not want to punish Mordecai “ ” but to punish all the Jews in the kingdom.

Verses 7-11
1. Verse 7 gives us a chronological reference - In the first month, that is, the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king
Ahasuerus, which would be of 474 B.C. (Esther 1:3, Esther 2:16).
2. Haman and his wise men cast .
• The word “Pur” is an Assyrian word meaning “lot.”
• The casting of lots varied in method, but it was always connected to .
3. “from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, that is, the month Adar” – does NOT mean that
twelve months were used in casting lots to find the best day for killing all the Jews.
• It means that the wise men went through the calendar, day by day and month by month, until they chose the
exact day and month – thirteenth day of the twelfth month (verse 13).
• Haman complied with the dictates of Pur even though it meant that Haman had to wait nearly a year.
4. Haman concocted quite a message to give to King Ahasuerus to endeavor to obtain permission from Ahasuerus to kill
the .
5. “And their laws are diverse from all people” (verse 8) meaning the Jews’ laws were - they
were God's laws.
• The accusation overlooked a policy of the Persians that allowed all the conquered nations to retain their own
laws and usages.
• So Haman’s statement about “their laws are diverse” was a legitimate accusation.
6. “It is not for the king's profit to suffer them” (verse 8) - meaning that it did NOT the king by
keeping them around.
7. “I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into
the king's treasuries” (verse 9) – Haman offers the king a bribe to get permission to kill the Jews.
• This bribe indicates that Haman was an extremely man (Esther 5:11).
• A talent was a weight equal to about pounds.
• The weight of the silver is estimated at 12 million ounces which is 375 tons of silver!
8. When Haman finished his plea for permission to kill the Jews, Ahasuerus granted Haman the permission he wanted
and gave him a mandate to kill the Jews.
• The king’s ring was the signet ring of Ahasuerus.
• When it was imprinted in wax upon a document, it made that document the law of the land.
9. In Esther 3:11, the king’s response (“The silver is given to thee”) gives the impression that Ahasuerus rejected the
money and offered to pay the expenses himself.
• In typical Oriental fashion, the king politely rejected the offer, fully expecting Haman to
that he accept it.
• Haman knew that the Greek wars had impoverished the king’s treasuries, and he would never have offered so
much money to so mighty a ruler if he didn’t really intend to pay it (Esther 4:7).

Verses 12-15
1. The “then” when Haman called the king's scribes to write the proclamation was exactly months to
the day before the planned slaughter.
2. “To destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish” (verse 13) emphasized the great of this proclamation.
3. “All Jews, both young and old, little children and women” (verse 13) – it was “ ” Jews, not just a
few.
4. “In one day, even upon the thirteenth day of the twelfth month” (verse 13) – the killing of the Jews was to be done
in “ .”
5. “To take the spoil of them for prey” (verse 13) used to help inspire the attack against the Jews.
6. Haman was in getting out the proclamation.
7. “And the king and Haman sat down to drink” (verse 15) – It is difficult to see how the king could make a law to
wipe out millions of people one minute, then sit down to eat and drink the next minute.
8. “But the city of Shushan was perplexed” (verse 15) - While the king and Haman were
at a drinking party, the rest of the people were celebrating.